Five Pet Hates About Bid Questions and What to Do About Them

Bidding can be a challenging process, and while we all hope for clear, concise bid questions, sometimes they leave us scratching our heads. Here are five common frustrations with bid questions and some advice on how to handle them:

1. Word/Character Counts That Are Too Short

Nothing is more frustrating than having a wealth of information to share but being constrained by an unreasonably short word or character count. It forces bidders to omit valuable details, potentially weakening their proposal. This can be compounded by overly long questions – sometimes as long as the word count you are given to answer them in.

2. Ambiguity in What Is Being Asked

Vague questions can lead to guesswork, risking misinterpretation. Bidders want to provide accurate and relevant information, but ambiguity can hinder that. It also means the commissioner may get an answer back that doesn’t fit the requirement/needs – a situation that isn’t helpful to anyone.

3. Questions Within Questions

When a single question has multiple parts, it can be easy to miss a section or provide incomplete information. It also makes structuring responses more challenging. Ideally, questions should have an overall theme and then sub-points – sometimes set out as bullet points, to allow the bidder to easily structure their answer and write a clear response.

4. A Lack of Relevance to the Specification

Questions that don't align with the specification can be puzzling. It raises doubts about whether the buyer understands their own needs or if they've included generic questions without customisation.

5. Repetition/Similarity to Another Question

Repetitive questions not only waste time but can also lead to inconsistencies in responses if the bidder interprets the questions differently.

So, What Can You Do If You Aren't Happy?

Ask Clarification Questions During the Process: If something isn't clear, seek clarity. It's better to ask during the bidding process than to make assumptions. This can sometimes lead to the procurement team changing the question or providing a clearer explanation. If you still aren’t satisfied with the response, ask again.

Feedback on the Process Once It's Completed: Constructive feedback can help improve future bid processes. If a particular question or set of questions was problematic, let the buyer know. Your feedback can lead to more streamlined and effective bidding in the future.

Remember, the whole bid of the bidding process should be to have the best bidder provide the service in question, whether for quality, price or a combination of the two. Bidders being caught out by bad/ambiguous questions helps no one, least of all the buyer and service users.